What does it mean to be a "Reformed" Christian?

This is a question that I've been asked many times since becoming a Reformed Baptist. In different conversations (depending mainly upon audience and amount of time available), I've given less - and also more - detailed answers. I've even occasionally borrowed an answer from Alistair Begg. While I disagree with Begg on some key areas of theology, I agreed with, and enjoyed, his response to this question in a Q&A session with R.C. Sproul. The answer he gave was short, accurate, and not at all insincere. He said, "Well, you start by reading your Bible...and, uh...then you become Biblical...<smiles> then you're reformed." The first time I watched this exchange, I laughed. A few moments later, I began to think a bit more deeply about Begg's response. Though more detail could certainly help give a clearer understanding, he was right on target with this answer. A proper Biblical theology (leveraging a similarly grounded systematic theology) can, and usually does, lead a person to a Reformed understanding of God's Word.

The Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. Over the course of history, the Roman Catholic Church shifted the foundation of what it considered to be Christianity. Through this move, Roman Catholicism systematically replaced the Bible with traditions not found in the canonical text. This move was/is not supported by Scripture (the Bible), and actually goes against the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, Acts 20:32, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 19:7-11, Mark 12:24, Isaiah 40:8, Luke 21:33).

In its simplest sense, the Reformation was about re-centering Christians (and Christianity) on the Word of God, the Bible. To help Christians in thinking and living more Biblically, reformed leaders developed corporate confessions of faith and catechisms for learning the principles of those confessions. Some of the more commonly known reformed confessions include the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the Westminster Confession, and the Belgic Confession. The Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Westminster Larger Catechism are probably the two better known catechisms.

"Why do we need corporate confessions if we have the Bible?"

I'm glad you asked! :) The reformed confessions we have today were developed (as mentioned a moment ago) by reformed Christian men who were well-studied in the Bible and theology. Their work was designed to give clarity to the Scriptures (the Bible) in a shorter but no less accurate way - especially helpful for less mature Christians who understand and believe the Gospel in a basic way but may not have a deeper understanding of the Word of God. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." - Hebrews 5:13-14 (NASB95). Confessions don't just give clarity, though. They also establish what a particular group of Christians believes. For example, PCA Presbyterians adopted the Westminster Confession in 1788. Reformed Baptists, on the other hand, hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. The areas of difference between these two confessions of faith are what determine who considers him/herself to be either a Baptist or a Presbyterian. Both of these confessions have a great deal of common ground, and because of these shared beliefs, members of each group generally consider one another to be brothers and sisters in Christ. And, this is the case among many Christians, reformed or otherwise.

Every church should hold to a confession of faith for clarity of their understanding of Scripture, for unity of those who worship together, and to give transparency to those outside the church who may have interest in joining. I'd recommend that a church committee look at some of the older confessions of faith if the church hasn't already chosen one. Having a confession of faith that "has some mileage" is actually one of the marks of a great confession. A confession like the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith has been tested over many more generations of Christians than, for example, the New Hampshire Confession (1833) which was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention and later replaced by the Baptist Faith & Message (1963 and then 2000).

If you're curious about whether you are a Reformed Christian, start with your Bible and a copy of one or more of the confessions of faith mentioned above. Read through the confessions, compare them to what you find in the Bible and then to what you believe.

My family and I are Reformed Baptist who worship with other Baptists when we are in our hometown area, and have worshipped with Baptists, Presbyterians, and other Christians when outside of our hometown area. Founders Ministries has been a fantastic resource for us in our walk with Christ. Founders, and this fantastic ministry offers a copy of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith in modern English in paperback as well as eBook format. I highly recommend it.